A Fate That Could Not Be Defied

"Whew, whew... Tenten, thanks for coming so early to practice with me."

In Konoha's small forest, Neji panted heavily. Kunai, senbon, shuriken, and other throwing weapons littered the ground around him, yet within a two-meter radius around him, there was not a single mark of an attack.

"Neji, why are you pushing yourself so hard?"

Tenten sat on a tree branch, playing with a kunai. The sharp blade spun around her hand like a windmill, but the girl showed no concern about cutting her fingers.

"Because my opponent is him."

"But I heard he's just a Dead Last... Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit?"

Tenten truly could not see anything special about Naruto. She could only spitefully suspect that Neji might be afraid of that Thousand Years of Death move. It really was terrifying.

"You might not believe it, but that guy is much stronger than me."

Neji spoke seriously. He had recalled countless times the power Naruto had unleashed when they were children, a power even jonin could not stand against. If he did not work hard, he would definitely be the one to lose.

"Hahaha, I thought you were the type who would never tell jokes in your life, Neji. Are you trying to relax before the match?"

Tenten patted Neji on the shoulder with a laugh, then grabbed his hand and headed with him toward the venue known as Kikyo Castle.

Meanwhile, the guy she had called a Dead Last did not feel nervous in the slightest. He was sleeping soundly in bed.

"Naruto-kun, Naruto-kun, wake up."

Hinata gently nudged Naruto's body and pulled open the curtains. Sunlight from outside fell across Naruto's face, finally waking this lazybones.

"Hinata? Why are you here?"

Naruto rubbed his eyes and looked curiously at Hinata, who was busy in the room. Then he glanced at the alarm clock. It was only seven o'clock, even though the match did not start until eight.

"I came specially because I was worried you'd be late. Just as I expected!"

Hinata stood by the window with her hands on her hips, complaining like a little wife. In truth, she had arrived long ago and had simply sat quietly by the bed, watching Naruto sleep until it was time to wake him.

"Hehe, I was actually just about to get up."

"Breakfast is ready. Hurry and eat."

Hinata pointed at the food on the table: the standard white rice, miso soup, and grilled fish.

"Huh? You made this especially for me?"

"Otherwise, you were planning to just get by with a cup of instant noodles again, weren't you?"

"Thanks."

Naruto picked up his chopsticks and wolfed down the food. Seeing him like that, Hinata smiled happily as well.

"Naruto-kun, I specially begged Dad to let me watch your match from beside him. Lord Hokage personally invited him to the VIP seats at the top of Kikyo Castle. I'll be watching you carefully."

"I'll win."

"Don't push yourself too hard."

Hinata helped Naruto straighten his collar, then left his house ahead of him and headed for the match venue.

Kikyo Castle was the grandest building in Konoha. Just as its name suggested, it was as enormous as a fortress. The venue for the main tournament was located in the center of Kikyo Castle, surrounded by walls dozens of meters high. The circular arena had a radius of roughly two hundred meters, with scattered trees planted throughout to make things easier for the ninja to fight.

"Lord Kazekage, you must be weary after coming such a long way."

At the highest level of Kikyo Castle, only the powerful and influential could watch from the VIP seats with the best view. Everyone else watched from the lower ordinary seats. Hyuga Hiashi had also come at the Hokage's invitation, bringing his two daughters with him. At that moment, someone dressed similarly to the Third Hokage approached under the escort of Sand Village ninja. The Third Hokage nodded and invited him to sit.

"Heh heh, it's fortunate that these exams are being held in Konoha. If they were held in the Sand Village, Lord Hokage might not have such a healthy body to come watch."

The Kazekage's face was wrapped in cloth, and the eyes exposed outside were filled with provocation. The Third Hokage, however, did not mind at all.

"You jest. I don't think I'm old yet."

"These are...?"

The Kazekage's gaze shifted toward Hyuga Hiashi, and he subconsciously licked his lips. The Bloodline Limit Byakugan was one of the abilities he wanted as well. Fortunately, the cloth covering his face kept anyone from noticing.

"This is Hyuga Hiashi, head of Konoha's Hyuga Clan, along with his two daughters. They are here at my invitation to watch the matches."

"Lord Kazekage, you must be tired from your journey."

Hyuga Hiashi stood and gave a respectful bow. Hinata and Hanabi remained seated obediently. They were not qualified to greet him in a setting like this.

"Mhm."

The Kazekage nodded indifferently and turned his gaze toward the arena, where Naruto and Neji, the first match's contestants, were saying something to each other.

"Neji, it's not too late to surrender. You just need to apologize to Hinata."

"You've been infuriating since we were kids. You kept showing up in front of us on your own, day after day, like an idiot. It's all because of you that Hinata has become nothing like Hinata!"

Neji could not stand Naruto's arrogant attitude. This guy had barely changed at all. He was just as irritating as he had been when they were children.

"Hinata has only become stronger. Don't tell me you have a sister complex? Back then, you were always stopping me from getting close to Hinata."

"A sister... sister complex?"

Neji was stunned and even took a step back. Luckily, the arena was large enough that the spectators could not hear what they were saying. Otherwise, the whole world would know. He had liked Hinata a little when they were children, but it was absolutely not what Naruto was saying!

"I know about it. When you were napping as a kid, you talked in your sleep about how cute Hinata was."

"Y-you think anyone would believe that nonsense? You were the one who got caught peeping on Hinata while she was bathing when you were ten, and Uncle Hiashi hung you up and beat you. Did you forget?"

Neji could not believe Naruto still remembered that incident. He immediately brought up Naruto's embarrassing past to strike back. A serious Chunin Exams match had turned into the two of them bickering over old grudges.

"I've said it countless times, that was an accident! I didn't know anyone was in the bathroom! If you bring that up again, I'll beat you up! (°д°)"

"Come on, then. Do you think the countless things you said as a child will come true today? After all these years, you still haven't even touched me once!"

Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!

The verbal warm-up ended there. Naruto formed Hand Seals and created a hundred clones, charging at Neji. Neji also took up the stance of the Gentle Fist and dispersed the Shadow Clones one by one.

"Neji! The fact that you still remember what happened when we were kids means you're still Neji. What happened to make you and Hinata become like this? Say it!"

A Shadow Clone attacked Neji from behind, swinging its fist as it shouted. They were all Naruto's consciousness, able to convey his thoughts perfectly. But Neji seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Without even turning around, he swung his arm backward, struck the clone's chakra points, and dispersed it.

"There are things in this world that can't be solved just by talking about them! Take you, for example. Your dream is to become Hokage. Is that something you can accomplish just by saying it?"

"Why not?"

Naruto was furious. The Shadow Clones' attacks grew fiercer and fiercer as they threw themselves at Neji without regard for their lives.

"Only a small number of people can become Hokage. Do you think ordinary people can do it just by working hard? In the end, it depends on your birth and talent. That's right, talent."

"Those who hold others back will always hold others back. You and Hinata are both the same. She couldn't beat me when she was little, and she's still the same now. She's nothing more than a Dead Last with the status of the Main Family!"

As Neji evaded the Shadow Clones' attacks, he tried to close in on Naruto. Under his attacks, the Shadow Clones vanished at a visible rate, until he finally reached Naruto, who had been hiding at the back.

"Don't talk about Hinata like that! What do you understand about her after leaving the Main Family? She practiced every single day until her palms blistered and bled, all because she wanted to change herself!"

"That's exactly why talent is something you're born with. Hard work is useless too! Fate cannot be defied!"

"I hate people like you, who say one thing and do another. If the Branch Family can't defy the Main Family, then what are you doing right now? Aren't you using these exams to prove yourself, using victory over Hinata to prove that the Branch Family is no weaker than the Main Family? Isn't that just a pathetic way of thinking?"

"I..."

Neji was momentarily speechless. Naruto made too much sense, and he did not know how to refute him.

"Got you!"

While Neji was distracted, the Shadow Clones behind him pounced on him all at once. Two grabbed his arms, two grabbed his legs, and another wrapped around his waist, leaving him unable to move.

"You bastard, Neji, grit your teeth. I'm going to beat you senseless."

Naruto's real body and the remaining dozens of Shadow Clones all leaped from the ground, raising their fists as they struck at Neji.

"Hmph, you think this is enough to defeat me? Rotation!"

Neji sneered. Powerful Chakra burst from every chakra point in his body, and he spun like a top, sending Naruto and all his Shadow Clones flying. When he stopped spinning, he had left a large circular crater in the ground.

"Cough... What was that?"

Naruto spat the dirt from his mouth and stared in shock at Neji's technique, which combined defense and offense.

"Father, that..."

Hanabi, sitting beside Hyuga Hiashi, looked at her father. She remembered seeing him use that Gentle Fist technique, though she had not learned it yet.

"That's right. It's Rotation, the secret technique passed down orally within the Main Family. He actually comprehended it at his age through his own understanding of the Byakugan. What a terrifying boy."

Hyuga Hiashi's expression darkened. He had never expected a Branch Family boy to comprehend the Main Family's secret technique. It seemed Neji's talent had already surpassed Hanabi's. It was truly a great pity that someone like him had not been born into the Main Family.

"Naruto-kun... do your best."

Hinata also knew how powerful Rotation was. At this moment, all she could do was clasp her hands together and pray for Naruto.

"See, Naruto? You can't defeat me at all. And you still talk about dreams?"

"Shut up! As long as I still have one breath left, I won't give up!"

The moment Naruto climbed back to his feet, he felt that something was wrong. His legs would not move. He immediately thought of where Neji had struck him earlier. It had not been an ordinary blow, but chakra-enhanced strikes to his chakra points. By then, Neji had already closed in and was moving both hands toward him.

"It's useless. You're already within my Eight Trigrams formation."

Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms!

Swift as the wind and thunder—those were the only words to describe Neji's palms. Under the sixty-four consecutive strikes, Naruto suffered tremendous damage both inside and outside his body, and was sent flying.

"Referee, you can call it now."

"Cough... Who says I lost?"

Before the referee could speak, Naruto slowly climbed back to his feet. He spat out a mouthful of blood and stared at Neji defiantly.

"You can still move after taking Sixty-four Palms? You're truly terrifying."

"Even without Chakra, I still have my willpower. I said I'd knock some sense into you. I always keep my word."

Naruto continued coughing up blood, but there was not a trace of confusion in his eyes. They were the same eyes Hinata had had back then, eyes that made Neji furious whenever he saw them.

"You really are an irritating guy. Die!"

Neji could no longer endure it. There were fatal chakra points on the human body. Although he had never struck one before, rage had clouded his mind, and he was ready to use Naruto as his first experiment.

Kid, looks like you've run into trouble. Use my power.

At that critical moment, the Nine-Tails' voice reached Naruto's ears. Its Chakra was already stirring restlessly. As long as Naruto agreed, he could instantly recover completely and defeat Neji.

"No!"

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PS: They actually started fighting because of a sister complex. (laugh)

PS: Thanks to reader Mo*Yu for the 500 tip, reader Shelved Traka for the 500 tip, reader Creaper for the 100 tip, and reader Extinguished PathˇBig Ghost for the 100 tip.